About last night …

Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges: Gone for the season with torn ligaments in their right knees.

Now Michael Cammalleri and Max Pacioretty.

If Cammalleri scores just before turning toward the right-wing boards, Mike Weber wouldn’t have hit him during his goal celebration.

But Cammalleri’s shot didn’t go in. And a not-overly-vicious crosscheck from behind by Weber sent Cammalleri into the boards and out of the lineup.

Max-Pac did what Mathieu Darche does and what we wish more large Canadiens forwards did. He stood on the lip of the crease and obscured the vision of Ryan Miller as James Wisniewski cranked one up from the blueline.

The result … OK, who volunteers to be the next Tomas Holmstrom?

If the Canadiens are cursed – and there have been times we’ve all wondered whether the Bell Centre was built on an aboriginal burial ground – they will find a way to deal with it.

This year’s edition is that kind of team. Getting a point out of Buffalo with three lines, while playing their second game in 24 hours, was nothing short of heroic. And it typified the spirit we’ve seen this season.

My great and good friend Arpon Basu makes a case for Lars Eller. The kid may be ready for prime-time – you had to love his grit in that late game battle with Tyler Myers – and he could take Cammalleri’s spot on the power-play, while continuing to play 5-on-5 with Tomas Plekanec.

The help has to come from two players who entered the season as question marks.

If the Canadiens are going to pick up points through the games preceding the All-Star break, Andrei Kostitsyn and Benoit Pouliot have to display the talent that made them high draft choices.

Can they do it?

Absolutely. We’ve seen flashes of their ability, and the team needs consistent effort from them RIGHT NOW!

But those two enigmatic talents have broken our hearts before.

And if AK46 and Benny move up to the Top Six, the third and fourth lines get pretty thin.

David Desharnais centred Travis Moen and Tom Pyatt after the injuries forced Jacques Martin to improvise last night. They were the only line who consistently cycled, dogged the puck and spent time in the Buffalo zone, but DD won’t be boosting his Assist totals with those guys.

Or does Pierre Gauthier try to deal, from an uncomfortable position of extreme need.

The Canadiens play in Ottawa Friday night, then scoot home to welcome Saku Koivu and Maxim Lapierre back to the Bell Centre. Saturday will match the NHL’s busiest goaltenders: Carey Price and Jonas Hiller, each of whom has 23 wins.

Price was spectacular – again – in Buffalo. The Sabres spent the third period in the Canadiens’ zone, and Price shut the door to send the game into overtime.

The Canadiens might have had a crack at stealing two points if Scott Gomez hadn’t blown his cool with less than a minute remaining in regulation.

“I put us in a bad situation,” Gomez said, “and I’ll take the blame for this loss.”

No time for the blame game. Gomez and his teammates have to regroup and figure out ways to soldier on, minus four starters.

That’s hockey. And at least the injuries didn’t happen in the last week of March.

• • •

Two from the Commentariat, first from CharlieHodgeFan:

Pacioretty is a recent call up – a brilliant
one, but a guy who came in late. What he brings is a bonus, and having
him out hurts a lot, but can be dealt with. Cammilleri is a bigger hit,
even if he was slumping. If he’s gone for a few weeks, the team is in
trouble. White has maybe two goals in the AHL, and it’s goals this team
needs, not just guys to skate hard.

Pouliot. Kostityn, Eller,
Gionta – any of those guys could get hot. I don’t see a big trade, so as
usual, we sit here and watch what happens. The Habs are a good team
this year, and the depth is being built – Pacioretty, Eller, Pouliot and
increasingly Desharnais are interesting young forwards. The team is not
far from being at a solid level of depth for an NHL organization, but
these injuries at this time stretch it out pretty far.

That was a nasty evening of hockey against a shabby team and with inconsistent officiating. Ugly hockey with ugly results.

And from Jason M:

Sometimes I wonder why I bother to watch hockey it really seems that 1 game
out of every 3 are decided by flagrantly bias and incompetent officiating. Is
it I hope I get to watch the occasional barn burner that makes me happy? Or is
it misery that I so seek on game nights? The Habs aren’t exactly the most
disciplined team out there but I’d really like it if for a single game, the
Refs would do their job efficiently and properly and I can watch a game the way
it was meant to be watched. Gomez deserved a penalty but I think closing your
eyes on a handful of calls before cherry picking one is not what they have been
hired to do, at least, as far as I know. If a player has to “sell it” to get a
call, then the Refs aren’t doing their jobs.

I don’t know if you’ll touch up on this but early in the game Lindy Ruff had
a hissy fit and then the Sabres have a field day with many non-calls that put
the health of our hockey players at risk out there. Where have we seen this before? Did
the Habs even get ONE POWERPLAY after that hissy fit? Unfortunately, I believe
not.

At what point will management or the media bring this issue to the
limelight? I know it is frowned upon to cry foul towards the Refs but seriously
enough is enough and it’s time for a change about this. Can we kindly ask
people to be consistent in their work? How hard is it to call a penalty on a guy
who used his stick and a battering ram on Eller a handful of times? The holding
of a stick on Moen? Or hit players repeatedly from behind causing injuries
(Cammy and Woz) ? What about the non-calls on the headshots (Halpern)?

Do Refs even get any repercussions from being terrible at their jobs beyond
not officiating in the playoffs?

The current NHL system for officials is terribly broken and at times makes
me wonder if I should simply PVR the games, check later to see the feedback
from people off internet media and decide or not if I should go through the
motions to watch season games.It’s hard to be passionate on the product on the ice with all of these shenanigans going on.

One thing is for sure, I’m a very unsatisfied NHL fan right now. Though
kudos the Habs in sticking in the game, 3-4 players short while being on the
short end of the stick.

You mentioned it was time for Kostitsyn and Pouliot to contribute more. I think you forgot to include Gomez in that group. This team needs him to become more of an offensive force than he has shown so far.

Because Gomez only has 3 years left on his contract. Lecavalier (who is also having the worst season of his career) is signed for 10. Tampa will need cap space when Stamkos becomes a UFA, and Gomez will be off the books by then. Also, Tampa is a small market team who’s owners are concerned with actual $$$, and Gomez ‘only’ makes an average of 5.8 mil over the next three seasons, while Vinny makes $10-mil for each of those seasons.

I would love to see a swap between montreal and tampa Gomez for Lecalvier. Before you dismiss it, think about it for a moment. It would be benificial to both teams. Get the big franco center playing in montreal and get a fire lit under his ass.

Jason M’s comments were bang on. JM should’ve blown a gasket after Gomez got called, not because it was a bad call, Gomez deserved a penalty for sure, but because of the non-calls before that. Ruff complains, the calls go his way, against Pittsburgh last week Bylsma spoke to the refs for about a minute and a half prior to the 2nd period..Habs received 6 straight penalties. It’s how you play the game Jacques, lobby the refs, don’t just sit there with your arms folded shaking your head and muttering tabernack under your breath.

Plus you know what else…it shows the players your on their side and you’ve got their back. There’s a reason players loved to play for Pat Burns and it wasn’t because he was the second coming of Toe Blake or Scotty Bowman.

What a situAAAAtion! The last month has been trench warfare, and the Habs are running out of reinforcements.

Looking on the bright side … with two top D and two top-six forwards out, this has suddenly become a team that looks good with The System! If they are missing Camalleri and Max for any serious length of time, the Habs will be the lowest scoring team in the NHL over the last third of the season, and will have no choice but to try and grind and trap out 2-1 wins.

Also on the bright side: Price is playing well; Gomez is showing lots of emotion and drive; Plekanec has played like his hair was on fire the last couple games; Subban is a godsend; AK46 is hitting and skating and looking due for one of his scoring streaks; Hamrlik is heroic … and I’m sure there’s lots of good I’m overlooking.

They really need these two points against Ottawa, who unfortunately always play well against the Habs, so they’ll have to dig even deeper. I’ll be watching with great interest.

The play against the Flames was a smart, veteran play. He didn’t panic with the puck and either shoot or dump it into the corner; he knew that PK was coming up the right side so he held on to the puck to draw the defenders towards him, giving PK the open ice.

And yeah, it was a dumb play by Gomez last night. He didn’t hit the guy, so a penalty shouldn’t have been called, but he’s guilty of putting himself in a position where the ref was able to put his arm up. If that play happens in the first period, no one talks about it.

He took responsibility for it after the game. We’re short forwards so sitting him, regardless of what some here think, isn’t an option. Time to move on and get ready for Ottawa.

Do you really think it was that terrific? The Flames backed off – they gave him the blue line, but contained him out there. Their real mistake was leaving PK unchecked. What Gomez did was recognize who was open and give it to him. But we’re not talking about a great, seeing-eye pass or a play that dozens of others could not have made.

Gomez cost us a shot at a 2nd point last night. I’m trying to think of when he has gained us a point this season. He probably has, but it is a mark of how little impact he has had when I can’t think of one. It’s not like I’m a Gomez hater.

As they say “even a blind squirrel…..” and Gomez is our blind squirrel. His on pace to put up 10 goals and 30 assists. He has the worst +/- and he gets paid $8mm. he complains about his teammates who score winning goals. What a waste. If Pouliot or AK had taken that penalty they would have been torched by Boone et al ,including you, and would have been benched for at least the next game.

I’m very impressed with Eller’s work ethic — the guy won’t quit, he skates hard, backchecks, and is rarely out of position.

This is his chance, and more than him, Benny’s chance to shine. Benny always wanted top 6 minuts, well here you go. I actually liked the DD line last night, they had some strong shifts. Unfortunately there may not be anyone on the bottom six who will really help DD with his assist totals.

I’d like to see White get the call-up after his excellent pre-season. Plus, even with Max Power we are a soft team. We could use his grit and energy.

Amen . I could not agree more. The sooner we can unload this loser, gomez, the better this team will be . Gomez is apparently somewhat jealous or upset with PK. Well senor, PK is twice the hockey player you are. When I think of the amount of money we are paying this guy I just roll my eyes. I have nothing to base this on but I do not think Gomez is a positive influence on the dressing room. Yes he cost us the game last night. His “maning up” is rather hollow. Martin should sit him for a game. Gomez is a punk and thinks only of himself unlike PK who is a ream player.

Its amazing the amount of shit some players take for not scoring a goal and how long people hold grudges against a guy, in comparison to how easily Gomez gets off the hook for costing MTL the game with a stupid penalty.

The guy is on pace for 46 points. Lowest number of points in his career. It’s time for him to man up.

White will help but too be honest the Habs have got to SIZE up a wee bit! The second half stretch run is going to be brutal and I foresee more injury’s to come(It’s getting nasty out there).Desharnaise has been giving his all but is taking A POUNDING IN THE GAMES HE’S PLAYED.And our old eastern euro Dmen are standing up to all this but for how long?Abd can AK show up every night…come on buddy,your team needs you. Lapierre would have been nice to have last night…

just finished watching TSN coverage on pvr. Lindy ruff, kaleta, and gaustad were “selling” penalties all night. Habs suffer for not diving or bitching after every call. whether it is intentional or not, refs definitely seem to respond to a coach who is complaining at their calls. Rangers had calls in their favour as well after a tortorella rant. i don’t think it is a conscious decision as much as a “top of mind” thing – just like in marketing, if you keep telling the ref ‘they’re holding, they’re tripping, wah wah wah…” the refs are going to see it whether it is there or not.

so long as maxpac can play w/in 10 days or so i wouldn’t expect a trade, i can see a ryan white call up and maybe a ‘closed door’ chat w/ benny and AK46 to let them know expectations have just increased about 140%. White has a bit of an edge that they could use right now, buffalo wasn’t the first team to target price and subban and take the occasional late shot to put the habs in their place. any trade would be for depth anyway (Cammy should be back by February, right around when he got injured last year) – either someone with size (big JF Jacques guy still playing in edmonton?) or another experienced and pending UFA Dman

Only saw the last few minutes of last night’s game, but I salute the team for a heroic effort. Given the situation – the injuries, the officiating, the fact it was the second game of a back-to-back – getting one point was little short of miraculous and says a lot for the team’s character. Efforts like last night contribute to bringing the players together and forging a strong team identity, which will stand us in good stead come playoff time.

Short-term I think the injuries shouldn’t hurt us too much if Pouliot and Kostitsyn can continue to play at the level they’ve been doing the last few games.

We’re still in fifth place pending the Rangers’ game tonight, but, more importantly, we’ve opened a bit of a gap between us and ninth place.

Inept or unfair officiating is the most maddening aspect of being an NHL fan. Throw in crap like Bettman and his vision, Campbell and his biased sheriffing, the total domination of Canadian airwaves by everything Maple Leafs and ya gotta freakin’ wonder why we keep following the league…

The biggest flaw in the whole NHL system is this: every corner of the game from the owners to the players to the rules are represented by unions and committees that get a voice EXCEPT US THE FAN! Maybe there ought to be an NHLFA (NHL Fan Association) where as a union, we elect a leader to represent us at all league dealings so these morons get a sense of what the fan likes and dislikes!

The officiating has been lousy for a long time and probably isn’t going to get any better under the regime of Colin Campbell, who espoused situational calls in his now-famous e-mails criticizing his own employees. Kovalev in particular has been a marked man for years. He can get chopped for 60 minutes, but the second he stands up for himself he is gone. Lapierre was headed that way as well. I also believe that the referees know (perhaps subconsciously) that their job security won’t be in jeopardy if they over-penalize Montreal.

I don’t see any discussion of the non-existent “loser-point” today. Thankfully, the NHL retained the reward of a single point for a regulation tie. One point is a fair reward, especially in a situation like this where an undermanned team grinds out a tie after three periods.

The injuries are definitely more troubling than the loss. I’m hoping it’s a good sign that Max-Pac was able to fly home with the team, but losing Cammy is going to be hard for us. However, we have stepped up to the plate before, we can do it again. We played with inspired gutsy effort last night, and to keep it tied till the OT mark is the measure of this team’s desire to stay focused even in the toughest of situations. I have faith in my Habs!!

Considering what happened in the game, I’m quite happy with the point.

Speaking of the refereeing, I swear sometimes that you can see more logical calls in the WWE than the NHL. It’s funny how people still say we get special treatment by the refs. Yeah, last night proved that didn’t it?

Oh the hypocrisy. The commentariats’ constant bemoaning of the officiating (win or lose) and when Sabre’s coach Lindy Ruff speaks up about it, he’s a whiner, and having a hissy fit. Perhaps JM should be doing the same? If he did, everyone would praise his passion and having a heart.

And as I had posted a few days ago, Leggo and Kimmerly were two of the refs KNOWN to have called the HAbs more than they call our opposition by a significant margin. Once again, it’s clear that certain NHL refs are nit-picky about interference, hooking, and tripping, but willing to let certain players go unpenalized for high sticking, hits from behind, or headshots. The Sabres got away with a good 7-8 dangerous plays last night and on two cases (Cammy and Halpern), we saw players getting hurt because of it. On several others (Wis and Eller getting hit from behind into the boards or Eller taking a shot to the back of the head as he crossed the blue line), more of our players could have easily been hurt.

We all know Crosby is sitting at home whining about the headshot he took and I’m glad he’s trying to make that point but the problem is that he didn’t whine when it happened to guys he played against like Marc Savard. The NHL has done an adequate job reducing hooking and the like, but since the crackdown, the number of dangerous plays they let fly by has gone way up and that’s not a good trade for anyone’s safety. I’m tired of losing guys to injury because of incompetent officiating and I’m even more tired of losing games because of it; at least if we knew guys were sacrificing themselves to get the job done for the team, we might consider it heroic, but Cammalleri and Halpern and Eller have nothing to show for the shots they took. The Habs got 2 minutes of PP time for all those hits combined, none of the Sabres were thrown out of the game, and in fact the team in blue benefited from their dirty play by further handicapping an alreay tired Habs team. Where’s the justice in that?

It’s time for Martin and Gauthier to get up on a soapbox and publicly call out the league’s officials and let it be known that they want to know what Bettman and Campbell are going to do about it. Last night’s game was atrocious but it was but the cherry on a sundae of terribly-reffed games over the past 2-3 years. At the very least, the NHL needs to hand down a suspsension to Mike Weber, although one could easily make the argument that Henrik Lundqvist and Darren Powe and Daniel Briere and Milan Lucic should have been suspended earlier this year for equally flagrant gestures and the NHL let those go unpunished, while choosing to sit down players like Scott Nichol, Tom Kostopoulous, and Maxime Lapierre for similar offences over the past couple of seasons. Those players should certainly have been suspended too, but perhaps the so-called parity in the NHL standings has been created because there is not parity on the ice or in the NHL front office when it comes to reprimanding players of different teams, and that has got to stop.